colleyville heritage high school scandal colleyville heritage high school scandal

Some parents learned about the photo incident when they read Whitfields account on Facebook. The foursome scrambled back into their car and took off. Keeping Score: FC Dallas lights up the sky and the net on 80s night vs. LA Galaxy, 71-year-old man with dementia missing in Fort Worth, Expect mostly sunny skies this weekend after severe weather hits North Texas, Keller ISD teacher says school administrators asked him to remove Black Lives Matter banner in classroom, 'If I fold, what do they have left?' Well, I had an interesting day, he told his mother by phone that night. How many of them bought needles for players? She was the founding editor of the websites PureWow Dallas and Racked Dallas. It ate at her. Nor was the decision made in response to allegations Dr. Whitfield was teaching Critical Race Theory, or because of the photos on his social media account that were brought to the attention of the District in 2019. Copyright 2023, D Magazine Partners, Inc. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Im gonna kick your ass.. In a Sept. 1 written statement the district said: "The District has received numerous questions regarding the decision to place Dr. James Whitfield on paid administrative leave. His decision. We will not sit silently while these individuals continue their bigoted attacks. And the News reporters agreed that they wouldnt identify any of the other students who Bryan knew or suspected used steroids. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied journalism and public relations. She stared at the label, trying to concentrate as her heart rate spiked. Suite 2100 No, she said. Buy tickets online here. No one has provided any evidence that Cunningham knew about the steroid use on his football team, and theres no evidence that Lori Lewis is a crazy mom. Get the latest breaking news from North Texas and beyond. I just want to know, Why? The students created a fake wall with the. How many varsity football players got calls for drug deals in their SAT prep class this year? Three of his best friends have transferred to it in the past few years, so he has his core group of buddies together. Many in town obviously dont take the steroids problem seriously. That they are able to hear and see the students. "They did not feel there was a problem that we needed to look into," Rogers said. CHHS has several sub-administrators who are given students to oversee based on last name. They are: 1. In May 2018, Dr. Ryan was named the 2018 Region XI Superintendent of the Year. Because even though Lewis did the right thing, and even though she took every measure to protect her sons identity when she made that call and then later took her story to the media, it is Bryan who ultimately paid the price for his moms principled stand. Going forward, Whitfield believes his work in education isnt done. But the students at CHHS had obviously read the story. by Brian Lopez RANKINGS star-telegram.com/article2703187 #txhssoccer On February 4, the Morning News dropped that bombshell and used quotes and information from their interviews with Lewis and Bryan. To the kids, it wasnt just about making coaches happy. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Woman in viral pizza rant now facing ethnic harassment charges, Murdaugh Judge Clifton Newman: From segregated schools to the best we want in our jurists, NYC DOE probing anti-white texts linked to black superintendent, Black children attack, force white kids to say Black Lives Matter at Ohio school: video. At a board meeting a few weeks before last weeks, the parent group accused Whitfield by name which is against school board meeting rules. As Lewis recalls, Beal said, Ive talked to Coach Cunningham, and he says its not true. Dude, I think thats your mom.. But no names were used. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. He said he agreed to take some of the photos down. He talked quickly, stumbling over his words, trying to explain his reasoning. It had absolutely nothing to do with race. Summarizing his defense, he finally blurted, Mom, the majority of the football team is taking them.. Admitted it months earlier, not long after the journalists had interviewed Coach Cunningham. Bryan, afraid that someone inside had called the police, did the same. As a new campus principal, we wanted to provide a smooth transition for Dr. Whitfield to Heritage Middle School, which is why we advised him of the concern and made a request for the photos to be taken down from Facebook, it added. Ironically, it was the place where hed purchased his steroids. He rolled it down. They had a problem and needed to know about it, for the kids safety. A Black North Texas principal has agreed to resign after being put on paid administrative leave in August amid accusations he was teaching and promoting critical race theory. For weeks, kids buzzed about who they thought might be the anonymous athlete caught using steroids. Students were dismissed about an hour late Tuesday, the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District tweeted. Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. The Colleyville Heritage Steroid Scandal After finding steroids in her son's athletic bag in September of 2004, a Colleyville Heritage mom approached school administrators after. There were four teenagers inside, two in the front seat, two in back. Hes just got to get a little faster, a little bigger, a little stronger. Critical race theory, or CRT, is an academic discipline usually taught at the university level. It was all there. For nearly 10 years, she wrote restaurant reviews for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and her work has appeared in 360 West, Eater Dallas, Edible DFW, A+C magazine, D CEO, GlobeSt.com and Houstonia magazine. Dr. James Whitfield, the former principal at Colleyville Heritage High School, filed a $250,000 defamation lawsuit against Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District and board member Tammy . Lewis is suing because Cunningham told the Morning News she was a liar and a crazy mom. If a student must be absent from school a parent should call or email the school Attendance Office, the day of the absence, to report the student's name and the reason. Who is available? I know that there's just so many people under these attacks and that's my greatest fear because this profession means so much to me, he said. Beal said she was not cooperating. They werent too happy with me, she says. Hed only used them for a short while at the end of his sophomore year, when he wanted to make the varsity team as a junior. Critical race theory is a way of thinking about Americas history through the lens of racism. Football players were calling him Patrick. Conversations stopped when he arrived. Bryan never had to wonder whether his mom was engaged, as Dr. Phil likes to say. While at UT, Catherine served as managing editor of The Daily Texan, UT's student paper, and interned at the Texas Tribune and Houston Chronicle. (CHHS officials declined to speak with D Magazine.) COLLEYVILLE, Texas The embattled principal of Colleyville Heritage High School is expected to learn his employment fate this coming Monday. Where were you when you first injected them? He told KXAS that he received an email at the time from a school administrator containing an image of himself and his wife, Kerrie, kissing on their anniversary trip. She expected to hear from him in a week or so. Lewis was dumbfounded. She laughs about it more than she complains. Dangit, you got me!? She is suing the coach and the school district for $1.5 million because Cunningham said Lewis was a liar and crazy in an interview with the News. But the moms wouldnt tell the other moms about it, because they want their kid to have an edge. I just wish everyone else would.. Compare Colleyville Heritage High School to Other Schools gcisd-k12.org If you know that is on your trusted email list, contact your child's school office (Grade Level Learning Community, Building, or SLC) to have your email added to the system. The 18-year-old was arrested on charges of trespassing on school grounds and having a weapon in a place where its prohibited. The University Interscholastic League, which sets rules for competition in Texas high school sports, has no policy on steroids. She wants a million-five. All four got out of the car. "Because of his extreme views I ask that a full review of Mr. Whitfield's tenure in our district be examined and that his contract be terminated effective immediately," said Clark, who lost a recent campaign to join the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD school board. Colleyville Heritage High School (CHHS) is a public secondary school in Colleyville, Texas in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Grapevine-Colleyville ISD Superintendent Robin Ryan announced Whitfield was being placed on leave in a message to parents Monday. That kid will know who Patrick is. The Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District, a wealthy suburban district northeast of Fort Worth, said eight seniors and one junior admitted using the performance-enhancing drugs for a short period last spring. He wrote that he cant ask others to speak up if he wont, and that being a school administrator does not take away my rights and ability to be human and defend myself.. Theyd made a mistake, she says. That was months ago. It was at this moment that I knew the attack that we currently endure, was coming., In a statement to KXAS-TV (NBC5), the district said the photos it received contained poses that are questionable for an educator, especially a principal or administrator. Colleyville Heritage High School Unclaimed. Check to be sure that email from abi@luhsd.net will come through. 5401 Heritage Avenue, Colleyville, TX 76034 . First, she noticed the syringes. Lewis pulled him out of CHHS and would soon enroll him in a nearby private school. Only one. Show us with your support. "I think it's sweet. None of the individuals had weapons on them, but a handgun was found in one of the students cars, police said. Love will! Instead, a car slowly inched into the space next to him. I have done nothing wrong by anyone, Whitfield said. . But you figure theres a problem at the school, you call the school. In early August, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD placed Whitfield on administrative leave. He knows its just because she loves him, but, damn, so many other kids get away with telling white lies, staying out late. CHHS is a big school, with more than 2,200 students and an operating budget of $136.5 million for the. Meanwhile, a petition in support of Whitfield has garnered hundreds of signatures, and he said hes humbled for all the support hes received. James Whitfield, who was named Colleyville Heritage High School's first African-American principal in 2020, posted that during the July 26 board meeting, he was publicly named and accused of . Lewis told Beal that her son had used steroids, that he obtained them from other kids on the team, that they got them from someone at the nearby Whataburger. His resignation won't be official. He hopes he starts, he says. Colleyville Heritage High School is a public high school of the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District located in Colleyville, TX. (817) 305-4700. Its a stupid lawsuit. The median household income tops $150,000. In February 2005, The Dallas Morning News published an in-depth report entitled "The Secret Edge", a look at the topic of steroids in high school sports. We hid the photo, no one from above ever mentioned anything else about it, but the damage was inflicted on us in profound ways. With some of her neighbors not talking to her, she decided to take the next step. It was time to do something about her own reputationand those of future whistle-blowers. Opposition to critical race theory has become a rallying cry for Texas Republican leaders, who claim its indoctrinating students and teaching white students that they are racist. Colleyville Heritage High School is a top rated, public school located in COLLEYVILLE, TX. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Anna Caplan, Special Contributor. Here is a look at the Top 3 girls teams in Class 5A. Then she reached inside and took hold of the vial. For Lori Lewis is, if not a pariah in Colleyville, a shamed woman in the eyes of many who believe her campaign has unfairly smeared its high school, coach, and football program. Mother and son had always been close, though. Gregg Jones and Gary Jacobson sat at Lewis kitchen table, in her upper-middle-class, redbrick home, on a quiet street in Colleyville, and grilled the mother and son for hours, during several interview sessions. That person was reported to the Colleyville police, she said. Lewis begged him to calm down. And it has nearly ruined their lives. Can you take this picture down? When Lori Lewis learned that many players on her sons Colleyville Heritage football team were using steroids, she blew the whistle. Arent they illegal now? Dallas Cowboys want another playmaker on offense. They werent snitches. Only 22,000 people live in Colleyville. In response to written questions from Jones and Jacobson, the district acknowledged that nine CHHS football players, eight seniors and one junior, had admitted to using steroids. They even went to football games, sat in the stands, and made a list of the players who looked like they might be using steroids, based on the common signs: acne, muscular definition, rage. Overall Score 89.05 /100. When the kids get to middle school, a lot of them go to sports camps in the summer to improve. Judges rejected so many of the girls that they did not have enough cheerleaders for a junior varsity squad this year. It would be my hope finally someone listens to the students because ultimately that's who we're here to serve. Lesli Ware. While the move may have been about personnel, Whitfield said it feels personal. Told that, McClure said she was certain the information had been passed on to the Colleyville department. Lewis was stunned. and I asked, 'Why? Can you hide it?' She went to sleep thinking it was the right thing to do. Beal asked her to come into the school for a talk. The coach, Chris Cunningham, denied the accusations in reports published at the time and said he was adamantly against steroids. The one who could name Bryan. Whether the district acted over concerns from parents over racial issues or the way the couple was posed, Roppollo said there was no reason to censor the principal. Not quoted are the audible giggles of news anchor Gloria Campos: The mother who helped uncover the steroid use at Colleyville Heritage High School, Lori Lewis, is suing football coach Chris Cunningham. Media pundits like Hansen say she should shut up and let it be. Aria writes about breaking news. The curriculum, an academic framework that says racism is a systemic problem perpetuated by government policies and institutions, is not taught in Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, multiple sources in the district have said. The school is a part of the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District and serves freshmen through senior students in Colleyville and the surrounding areas of Tarrant County. No spam, ever. THEATRE DEPARTMENT. I am the first African American to assume the role of Principal at my current school in its 25-year history, and I am keenly aware of how much fear this strikes in the hearts of a small minority who would much rather things go back to the way they used to be, he wrote. A petition in support of Whitfield has hundreds of signatures, and he said he's humbled for the support he's received and regrets he held this in for so long. Bryan got out and starting jawing with him. In hindsight, of course I should have just called them. At that moment, it didnt seem like an earth-shattering admission. Example video title will go here for this video. Hes on his third cycle.. Why would he use steroids? Mom, they already know. The one thing that bothers Lewis is how this has affected her family. 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Dallas Cowboys want another playmaker on offense. ", Grapevine-Colleyville ISD issued the following statement Monday. While the status of this as an ongoing personnel matter limits the information that the District can disclose about the events leading up to this decision, the speculation and conjecture that surround these events warrant some additional context. She hurried downstairs and called the pharmacy at the nearby Walgreens. 5401 Heritage Ave. Colleyville, TX 76034-5919. , Lori Lewis says the comments by Coach Cunningham slandered her and her reputation has been damaged. Sitting at her computer in her Mid Cities work cubicle, Lewis felt disheartened as she read the story. He is rubbing his hands while he talks, trying to get the grime off his fingers. My friends are used to it. Except for a few friends, he felt ostracized. On the bus, she read, careful not to catch anyones eye. She asked the druggist to decipher the label for her. In December, however, nine students involved in football and other unspecified sports came forward and said they used steroids last spring. Whatever. The CHHS kids who posted to the Morning News steroids bulletin boards, saying everyone knew this was a problem, that it is still a problem. Note! He sounded drunk. Heritage Elementary School 4500 Heritage Avenue Colleyville, TX 76034 Eagle 1991 507 Bransford Elementary School 601 Glade Road . Can you hide it? and I asked, Why? (Even though, technically, its in Euless.) One section on the report's website was called "Colleyville Heritage's team secret". There were several long pauses, she says. Colleyville is a Yuppie burb, sure, with a median home price of $335,000, but it is affluence packed on top of a former tiny farming community, a fine cloth draped over an old couch. When no one showed up, she called the owner to ask why. I am the first African American to assume the role of Principal at my current school in its 25-year history, and I am keenly aware of how much fear this strikes in the hearts of a small minority who would much rather things go back to the way they used to be, he wrote. He came at him againObviously, Bryan says, this kid did not know how to fightand this time Bryans punch knocked him to the ground. Who knew? The weekend before the series was to run, a fax came to the Morning News. He meant half the players who mattered were juicing. Feeder schools for Colleyville Heritage High School: Elementary: GRAPEVINE, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Dozens of students and parents rallied outside Grapevine-Colleyville ISD's school board meeting Monday night, August 23, to show support for Colleyville. This one held something. Normally, the school dismisses at 4 p.m., a district spokesman said, but around 5:15 p.m. the district tweeted that it was doing a controlled dismissal of all students.. That evening, she obsessed about its implication. This is how competitive it is in this town, Lewis says, smiling. When Ted Beal answered his phone that morning, September 23, the nightmare began for the CHHS administration. Its pretty simple. What's wrong with the picture?' A few days later, he dialed the players cell phone to arrange delivery, reaching him in an SAT preparation class.. The reporters worked other sources. Dave Denning, a former Grapevine High School principal, will serve as interim leader of the campus, Ryan said. The Grapevine-Colleyville district has taken no action against the students and is reviewing school policies to determine whether disciplinary action will be taken, she said. Bryan, three inches taller, popped him in the face. It wont change anything. I look at the picture, and I look at the words above it, and it says, Is this the Dr. Whitfield we want leading our schools? I showed it to my wife, who immediately begins to well up with tears, said Whitfield, adding that he took it to mean that he was being criticized for being in an interracial relationship. He says that many of the football players at Colleyville were introduced to steroids by someone from a nearby rival. And while her son was fighting his battles, Lewis was fighting hers. The district told WFAA again Friday that the decision has nothing to. Aria Jones, Breaking news reporter. "We're talking about a very short period, weeks," district spokeswoman Robin McClure said. Focusing on unique things school districts are doing to help children succeed. Its been a roller coaster for him, she says. During the following months, the reporters put together their package of stories. It has 2,123 students in grades 9th through 12th. The coaches had told him to get bigger and stronger if he wanted to earn a starting position, he said. The Colleyville kids rarely venture far from home. The decision to place Dr. Whitfield on administrative leave was not a result of statements made by members of the public, including those who spoke at recent meetings of the GCISD Board of Trustees. Maybe he wont tell anyone.Then she read paragraph 33, which detailed Patricks efforts to have a woman buy his needles so he wouldnt arouse suspicion: The cheerleader went to a nearby Kroger supermarket. He had a Grapevine High School sticker on his car, so he didnt go to Heritage. "I look at the picture, and I look at the words above it, and it says, 'Is this the Dr. Whitfield we want leading our schools?' He decided in the summer to concentrate on baseball. When he decided not to play (and when he noticed acne on his back during the family vacation in Florida), he stopped. You heard that story earlier tonight. Unfortunately, it didnt work out that way.. We've received your submission. Instead of issuing their support of me, they came after me, he said. Lewis didnt want to confront Bryan in front of his friends. The tough drug-testing program that Grapevine-Colleyville has adopted. "But if it's not CRT for this group, it will be something else.". Texas Teacher of the Year keeps focus on students to drown out political noise, 'Its about a happy classroom': Garland ISD focusing on social emotional learning. Then, two weeks later, Bryan left a movie theater on a weekend night. Colleyville Heritage High School 5401 Heritage Avenue Colleyville, TX 76034 P 817-305-4700 F 817-358-4765 Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. The student came forward only after his mother discovered a bag full of syringes and vials of liquids in his bedroom closet. They were identified merely as the athlete and his mother.. 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These Valuable Pennies Are Worth Thousands. I love them, they love me," Whitfield said in an interview with WFAA's Jason Whitely on the same day the students walked out of school to support him. Just over a month later, the district has suspended Colleyville Heritage High School Principal James Whitfield without explanation, he told The Washington Post on Tuesday. Lawmakers eventually passed House Bill 3979, which restricts how teachers can discuss current events, encourage civic engagement and teach about Americas history of racism. Faking it wasnt easy. Colleyville players admit to briefly using steroids, Mayor: HISD has two optionsclose school or be taken over, Rare photos show 2 ocelots crossing South Texas road, Eric Gordon trade looking better and better for Houston Rockets, Willie Nelson pays lovely tribute to another country legend, Hiker takes 'once-in-a-lifetime' photo at Brazos Bend State Park, This Texas Hill Country town is the new, cooler Fredericksburg. LIVE: Colleyville Heritage vs. Grapevine | 2023 High School Soccer - YouTube Premieres in 4 hours February 21 at 4:00 PM Rice Memorial vs. Colchester | 2023 High School Boys Basketball. I cant run from this. Get out of the car, Dyer, he said. The school became the focus of national attention during a 2005 steroid scandal involving multiple student-athletes. But if were really concerned about reputations here, whose reputation has been damaged more? They asked Bryan to relive every detail. Not Bryans. Who is available? Whitfield, who was named principal of Colleyville Heritage High School ahead of the 2020-21 school year, has been accused online and in board meetings of teaching critical race theory and promoting a belief that white people are inherently racist. This story has been shared 117,245 times. It was too quiet, she says. COLLEYVILLE The Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Tarrant County on Tuesday requested a meeting with the civil rights office of the U.S. Department of Education to discuss the ongoing. Do you value our journalism? She says she never used the word condone, and her demeanor in all those phone calls was completely appropriate. She said that many other football players were using them, and her son told her that, because many players knew about it, the coaches either knew and didnt care or didnt want to know so they didnt ask how players had made sudden increases in strength and size. Get the latest breaking news from North Texas and beyond. Colleyville Heritage High School. 817-305-4717. Where did you get them? Are insane ticket costs pricing Astros fans out of Opening Day? It's he and his beautiful wife, they have a beautiful family," said Sunni Roppollo, who has children at Colleyville Heritage High. COLLEYVILLE - Nine Colleyville Heritage High School students involved in football and other athletics have admitted to using steroids, district officials said Friday. Can you believe those boys using steroids? one asked. 5401 Heritage Ave, Colleyville, Texas | (817) 305-4700. He knewfrom friends, from weight-room whispers, from his own two eyesthat many of the starters were accomplishing just that task with injected aid. No one could see her talking to school officials. Ranking weighted 4.0 GPA* (includes only Core, LOTE, and AP courses in GPA calculation), 2. He was just letting her know that he wasnt alone. Im used to it.. ", "Nothing he's done has anything to do with critical race theory," said civil rights attorney David Henderson ofEllwanger Law, which is supporting Whitfield.